A title may consist of several copies. Different copies of a title may have different usage patterns and be purchased at different times and at different prices. A copy is sometimes called a licence by some libraries.
The different usage terme for a copy are:
- The total number of accesses
- The allowed number of simultaneous accesses
- The expiration date
A title aggregates these different parameters in a single item presented to patrons. In the Administration site, loans and holds are therefore managed at the title level, in order to use the oldest copy, or to offer the next copy that becomes available in the case of a hold.
This is why catalogue management involves taking different actions on titles than copies. For more details, see the Catalogue article.